Comic book art you just don't like.

[Dr. Balls]

That's probably the worst single drawing of Spider-Man I have ever seen published. I'm still trying to figure out what he's doing on the right!

 

Something psychadelic.

 

I thought that myself...

 

 

...but it just looks more like trying to be left-field and experimental, and ending up with a result which resembles something scribbled by a six-year-old.

 

With it's oddly-drawn anatomy, It looks more like daily newspaper comic strip art or a political cartoon. Either way, I can admire the styling, but it's not appropriate for sequential super hero storytelling. I can't even imagine trying to read the entire comic.

 

Looking at that (Spidey, not Ron Lim's Surfer art) reminds me (concept-wise) of Sam Keith's art. I have always thought Sam Keith's work was pooly suited when it came to superheroes. His work is appropriate for children's books or for stoner hippy greeting cards - but not for comics.

[marmat]

I agree completely with JR JR. It's beyond horrible.

And I'll add Frank Quietly. It makes me want to vomit.

Check out White Queen's nut bag.

 

 

 

 

Quitely is a genius.....

 

[letsgrumble]

As a kid buying superhero comics in the 1970's, I could never relate to Frank Robbins' art. It seemed too old-fashioned and a throwback to 1940's comics for my modern tastes at the time. Maybe I'll have to revisit his work again to get a new appreciation, but I used to groan when flipping open a new Batman or Captain America comic to be greeted by those quickly-drawn cartoony line sketches of his.

 

 

... but I would still take Frank Robbins over Ron Lim and co. any day.

[Ken Aldred]

His newspaper strip art is excellent, emulating Milton Caniff's style. Many DC artists in the late 40s were also Caniff influenced, albeit with less detailed, more simplistic interpretations, particularly those of the younger artists like Toth, Kubert and Infantino. When Robbins adapted and simplified his style for comic books, 1970 or so, it was hardly surprising that the end result looked very old school, especially when it was published alongside the brilliant, cutting edge work of Neal Adams.

[rjpb]

His newspaper strip art is excellent, emulating Milton Caniff's style. Many DC artists in the late 40s were also Caniff influenced, albeit with less detailed, more simplistic interpretations, particularly those of the younger artists like Toth, Kubert and Infantino. When Robbins adapted and simplified his style for comic books, 1970 or so, it was hardly surprising that the end result looked very old school, especially when it was published alongside the brilliant, cutting edge work of Neal Adams.

 

I agree, his Johnny Hazard stuff was solid if unspectacular, but I remember hating it when he took over on The Shadow comic from DC. I'd probably like it better now.

 

As to post slamming Tuska - his pre-code crime work was excellent.

 

I kind of liked Trimpe when I was a kid reading Hulk. Second tier maybe, but it seemed to work for the title.

 

Ayers was a better inker than illustrator.

 

 

[Prince Namor]

I still like Trimpe's work, but it was probably from my memories as a kid. Looking back I especially liked it when John Severin inked it.

I think a lot of guys like Tuska and Heck really resented the Marvel Method and had a hard time changing their styles to fit it. Tuska's work in particular looks like a completely different artist.

[Logan510]

I still like Trimpe's work, but it was probably from my memories as a kid. Looking back I especially liked it when John Severin inked it.

I think a lot of guys like Tuska and Heck really resented the Marvel Method and had a hard time changing their styles to fit it. Tuska's work in particular looks like a completely different artist.

 

I like Trimpe's work as well, but man could John Severin make anybody look awesome or what?

[mysterio]

 

I dunno about this...If you had Romita Sr and McFarlane side by side at a show, I think McFarlane would have the bigger lineup.

 

 

 

And if "The SItuation" or "Snooki" were set up next to them the lines for the Jersey Shorians would be 10 times as long.

 

The great thing and the popular thing only rarely intersect.

 

True, Chris. As you know, I have a strong appreciation for both artists' work on Spidey, and if they were side by side at a show, I would be in the McFarlane line. Both played a strong role in defining the look and feel of Spidey during their respective runs on the title, and I think both are great in their own regard.

 

Went to Wizard World Austin on Friday and there were 0 people in Neal Adams line when I went up. Yet 5 or 6 people in line for Humberto Ramos (Went right at open on Friday.)

Neal Adams is always at every show, terribly expensive, and not always super friendly if you're not buying something.

 

I would have had a book or two signed by Adams at WW Austin, but he was charging $10 to sign anything. At the Dallas show in May he was free for the first two items, then $5 apiece thereafter, and I thought that that was really reasonable. Not sure why he jacked his price, unless he had to cover the steep Wizard table fee (but you think they would have given him a deal).

[Prince Namor]

I still like Trimpe's work, but it was probably from my memories as a kid. Looking back I especially liked it when John Severin inked it.

I think a lot of guys like Tuska and Heck really resented the Marvel Method and had a hard time changing their styles to fit it. Tuska's work in particular looks like a completely different artist.

 

I like Trimpe's work as well, but man could John Severin make anybody look awesome or what?

 

Yep. They should have used him more than they did.

[Duffman_Comics]

There's a lot of recent artists here, but where is the hate for old-timers Don Heck, Carl Burgos, Carl Pfeufer, and the astonishing Tony Tallarico?

 

 

 

From Blue Beetle #5.

 

I'd MUCH rather see a page like that over much of the modern art being published. At least it facilitates the telling of a story.

 

DG

+1

 

The job of a comic book artist, first and foremost, is to tell a story.

 

Well, here's some more "story telling" from Tony.

 

In his defence, I will allow that he was working from a Joe Gill -script. I do not know whether Charlton was employing the "Marvel method" whereby the plot is given the artist, he lays it out to the requisite number of pages and then the writer throws in the dialogue, or whether Gill supplied a full -script - the way Alan Moore does - giving precise instructions as to how many panels per page, what happens in each of them, the word balloons etc.

 

Check out this from the same Blue Beetle #5:

 

 

This is Charlton/Gill/Tallarico at their worst. A whole page is devoted to the creation of the Red Knight. What the reader gets is a single panel (of the five) with the Red Knight on a horse (where's that come from?) and a panel explanation "The rest was simple! A great black stallion . . . treated with the mysterious Saturnian metallic glass . . .and a suit of armor made of the strongest material ever devised".

 

How does one treat a horse with "Saturnian metallic glass"? (Off panel, obviously)

A simple suit of armour? Give me a break.

 

This is not good story telling. If Gill wrote it this way, he is, of course, at fault - but artist Tallarico should have done much more with the material - unless he fully realised his limitations.

 

This is the blessing and curse of the Charlton books in this period. Editors did not care, allowing hacks like Gill and Tallarico to do anything they wanted, but it also allowed freedom for talents like Ditko and a very young Byrne to explore possibilities.

 

Anyway, my 12c

 

[lizards2]

I get it :shrug:

[Wally's Comics]

As a kid buying superhero comics in the 1970's, I could never relate to Frank Robbins' art.

 

I agree this guys style gets in the way of trying to read the comic (which sucks!)

 

Gerry Talaoc has a similar style that gets on my nerves.

 

One of my favorite BA titles Phantom Stranger started off as strong as you could ask

with a majority of them with Neal Adams covers and Jim Aparo interiors, BUT when Gerry took over

that comic had nothing to do but crash and burn, and it did...

 

 

 

 

[TheAvenger80]

Alex Maleev's artwork offended me when he used Robert DeNiro as a photo reference for Sub-Mariner. Plus, neither the linework or layouts are appealing.

 

I want to see that artwork.

 

 

 

Of course! When I think Namor, I think DeNiro.

 

 

OMG this is f'n hilarious.

[Speedy-D]

Alex Maleev's artwork offended me when he used Robert DeNiro as a photo reference for Sub-Mariner. Plus, neither the linework or layouts are appealing.

 

I want to see that artwork.

 

 

 

Of course! When I think Namor, I think DeNiro.

 

 

OMG this is f'n hilarious.

Even aside from the DeNiro silliness, that has got to be the least heroic, most Nebbishy superhero I've ever seen.

[CAMPER49]

Alex Maleev's artwork offended me when he used Robert DeNiro as a photo reference for Sub-Mariner. Plus, neither the linework or layouts are appealing.

 

I want to see that artwork.

 

 

 

Of course! When I think Namor, I think DeNiro.

 

 

OMG this is f'n hilarious.

Even aside from the DeNiro silliness, that has got to be the least heroic, most Nebbishy superhero I've ever seen.

 

Namor's breasts are showing.

[DeliBebek]

Alex Maleev's artwork offended me when he used Robert DeNiro as a photo reference for Sub-Mariner. Plus, neither the linework or layouts are appealing.

 

I want to see that artwork.

 

 

 

Of course! When I think Namor, I think DeNiro.

 

 

OMG this is f'n hilarious.

Even aside from the DeNiro silliness, that has got to be the least heroic, most Nebbishy superhero I've ever seen.

Plus, it doesn't look at all like the real Namor!

 

[Dick Pontoon]

I still like Trimpe's work, but it was probably from my memories as a kid. Looking back I especially liked it when John Severin inked it.

I think a lot of guys like Tuska and Heck really resented the Marvel Method and had a hard time changing their styles to fit it. Tuska's work in particular looks like a completely different artist.

 

I like Trimpe's work as well, but man could John Severin make anybody look awesome or what?

 

Yep. They should have used him more than they did.

 

Severin on Trimpe Hulk might be my favorite. I asked Herb about it in Boston last April, wondering if he thought Severin left too much of his own stamp, but Herb also thought those books looked fantastic.

[Logan510]

There's very little comicbook art I don't like. Aside from the poster boy for bad art in Liefeld, I have never liked Erik Larson or Todd McFarlane's work. McFarlane's work actually drove me to drop Incredible Hulk and then Amazing Spider-Man back in the day

[Artboy99]

There's very little comicbook art I don't like. Aside from the poster boy for bad art in Liefeld, I have never liked Erik Larson or Todd McFarlane's work. McFarlane's work actually drove me to drop Incredible Hulk and then Amazing Spider-Man back in the day

 

I didn't like Mcfarlane art at that time either, I found it to be un-necessarily detailed filled with tons of tiny little scratchy lines. I have grown to appreciate it.

[mysterio]

There's very little comicbook art I don't like. Aside from the poster boy for bad art in Liefeld, I have never liked Erik Larson or Todd McFarlane's work. McFarlane's work actually drove me to drop Incredible Hulk and then Amazing Spider-Man back in the day

 

I didn't like Mcfarlane art at that time either, I found it to be un-necessarily detailed filled with tons of tiny little scratchy lines. I have grown to appreciate it.

 

I remember reading an interview at the time he was doing ASM and he said something to the effect of "you just add a bunch of lines and kids think it is detail".